• VidTao
  • Posts
  • [3 Ad Thursday] šŸ¬These gummy supplement ads nailed humor, virality, and trust

[3 Ad Thursday] šŸ¬These gummy supplement ads nailed humor, virality, and trust

Plus: a car-accident compensation ad with over $5M estimated adspend!

Welcome to, or welcome back to this week’s VidTao 3 Ad Thursday!

Each Thursday we’ll be diving into our VidTao YouTube ad library to uncover 3 high-performing YouTube ads driving results.

This week we’ve got three high-performing YouTube ads for you to check out & model, including:

  • šŸš— Car Accident Compensation Program Ad With Over $5M in AdSpend…

  • 🌿Alpha Gummies (Shilajit-based supplement $200k+ in AdSpend)...

  • šŸ„ GlowFare Mushroom Gummies Ad…

Ready to check the ads out?


The tracking metric you've never heard of that 4x'd a $750M business šŸ“ˆ


99% of DTC Subscription brands miss this

Duolingo was stuck in 2018.

Yes, $750M in revenue & 40 million+ daily users…

But growth?

Flatlining.

Hundreds of tests running… Nothing moving the needle.

They were trapped optimizing metrics everyone tracks: conversion rates, retention rates, acquisition costs.

Then they used a framework that flips traditional tracking on its head…

…exposing the ONE metric that mattered most...

…buried in every DTC subscription brand's biggest blind spot.

When they tested it against everything else — new user acquisition, reactivation campaigns, onboarding flows — this one metric had 10x more impact than all of them.

The result?

4x growth.

Not from better ads. Not from new traffic sources. Not from a rebrand.

From tracking one transition that 99% of subscription brands completely ignore.

Want to see how you can uncover your DTC subscription business’s ā€œmagic metricā€?

VidTao Co-Founder Brat Vukovich just wrote an article inside his weekly newsletter, The Dashboard, walking you through exactly how to dig into your own subscription business and uncover this golden insight.

PS — The Dashboard is where Brat shares weekly notes on building Bratrax, buying media, and making sense of performance data - without the fluff.

PPS — Send this link to a friend who needs it: blog.bratrax.com

Let's dive right in and take a closer look at this week's YouTube ad standouts and discover what makes them so successful.

šŸš— Car Accident Compensation Program Ad With Over $5M in AdSpend

Our first ad pick for this week - a car accident compensation program ad we found inside VidTao, check it out:

Its estimated total ad spend is over $5M šŸ¤Æ

These are some of the elements this ad combines:

šŸš— Hook & Emotional Setup

The ad begins immediately with tension and relatability:

ā€œYou think you’re fine after a car accident… until this happens.ā€

It visually contrasts calm freeway footage with the chaos that follows.

The voiceover tone is authoritative yet sympathetic, pulling viewers into a story they can easily imagine themselves in.

šŸ’° Problem Expansion — The Hidden Financial Trap

The script describes how ā€œminorā€ accidents evolve into financial nightmares weeks later — medical bills, missed work, hidden car issues.

This structure builds anxiety through escalation: small pain → growing consequences → urgency to act.

šŸ‘„ Authority + Empathy Blend

Instead of showing lawyers, the ad positions the ā€œprogramā€ as a helping system, not litigation.

Language like ā€œwe’re looking for 10 more peopleā€ and ā€œno upfront legal feesā€ humanizes what could feel like a legal ad.

It’s the friendlier alternative to ambulance-chasing — empathetic but transactional.

šŸ“– Proof Layer — Jessica’s Story

Jessica’s testimonial acts as narrative proof:

ā€œShe thought it was minor… three weeks later, ongoing pain… $100,000 payout.ā€

The storytelling format builds belief that viewers could be missing out too.

šŸ“ˆ Educational Frame — The Hidden Money Angle

The ad reframes ā€œcompensationā€ as a financial opportunity you didn’t know existed.

The repeated phrasing (ā€œeven if it seemed minor,ā€ ā€œeven if you were just a passengerā€) removes objections and increases eligibility perception.

ā° Urgency + Scarcity

Phrases like:

ā€œOnly taking 10 more casesā€

 ā€œOne-year deadlineā€

ā€œBefore spots are filledā€

drive immediate action without overt pressure — urgency disguised as a public service announcement.

🧭 Call-to-Action Loop

Ends with a simple, low-friction CTA:

ā€œAnswer a few questions… takes 20 seconds… find out instantly if you qualify.ā€

It reduces perceived risk and makes the next step feel like a diagnostic check rather than signing up for legal help.

Their landing page in use in quite simple looking:

Check out the lander in use by this advertiser inside our YouTube ads spy tool

~ update from our friends at Funnel of the Week ~

Air Fryers, ā€˜Dark Posting’ & Category Creation for
a $4B Market

Our friends at Funnel of the Week just released a new funnel breakdown…

…This time it’s a DTC beauty brand using dark posting + smart benefit repositioning to turn a decades-old niche product into a mainstream hit.

The product? Shampoo bars. The angle? No longer ā€œeco-friendlyā€ - now it’s hair transformation stories like:

ā€œMy hair grew 4 inches in 2 monthsā€
ā€œFinally found the solution for my thin, lifeless hairā€

And the growth opportunity is huge:

  • US shampoo bar market: $4.13B, growing 7.7% annually

  • Only 35% of consumers know this category exists

  • Only 8% have tried solid shampoo bars

Inside this breakdown, you’ll see:

 āœ“ All ā€œdark postā€ influencer accounts running now - and how they target different demos
āœ“ Creative strategy that shifts from eco benefits to personal transformation
āœ“ The awareness stage moves that take someone from ā€œnever heard of itā€ to ā€œordering todayā€
āœ“ How this exact framework has created billion-dollar markets before (electric toothbrushes, plant-based meat, and more)

🌿 Alpha Gummies (Shilajit-based supplement $200k+ in AdSpend)

Next up -  the Alpha gummies ad.

Watch it here:

Its estimated total ad spend is over $200k!

Here are some of the elements this ad combines:

šŸŽ¬ Opening Hook

Starts mid-action with a suggestive tone — ā€œDamn, it did all that?ā€ — instantly creates curiosity and intrigue. It plays on implication, not explicit performance.

The viewer’s brain fills in the gap, making it highly scroll-stopping on short-form platforms.

šŸ’¬ Social Validation + Familiarity

ā€œOh, I seen these on TikTok — they’ve been going viral.ā€

Anchors the product in social credibility. It implies mass approval before any direct proof.

This line functions as meta social proof — awareness without data.

āš—ļø Mechanism Reveal

Lists core actives:

ā€œThey got 4000 mg of Shilajit, Maca root, Tongkat Ali.ā€
 
ā€œBlack pepper for absorption.ā€
 
The short ingredient list gives scientific texture — enough to sound legit without overwhelming the casual viewer.

The ā€œblack pepper for absorptionā€ exchange introduces humor and science in one beat.

šŸ”„ Emotional Payoff

ā€œThat’s why you said it looked like a blood transfusion.ā€

It’s exaggerated humor that doubles as proof of potency. The audience connects laughter to perceived efficacy — classic tension relief after innuendo.

šŸ›’ Scarcity CTA

ā€œThey sell out super quick.ā€
ā€œI’m going to get a two-pack. Monday the link below.ā€

This adds urgency + scarcity while keeping the flow conversational — feels like casual advice, not a pitch.

Don’t forget to check out other ads by this advertiser as well, using the VidTao ad spy tool:

šŸ„ GlowFare Mushroom Gummies Ad

Last but not least, another gummies ad - these ones are the mushroom gummies by the brand GlowFare:

This ad's estimated total ad spend is over $130K!

These are some of the elements this ad combines:

šŸŽ¬ Opening Hook

The ad opens with a story seed — ā€œDid you see the girl who took one of those mushroom gummies and deep-cleaned her house at 2 AM?ā€

It feels like internet gossip, which instantly boosts watch time because it triggers curiosity + FOMO.

🧹 Proof-by-Action

Cuts show people cleaning, scrubbing counters, organizing — visual proof of energy and focus.

The montage acts as a metaphor for mental clarity → physical action.

šŸ„ Mechanism Reveal

Text overlay introduces hard data:

ā€œThese gummies have 2,500 mg of 7 functional mushrooms + ashwagandha.ā€

Anchors believability after the exaggerated intro.

šŸ‘©ā€šŸ’¼ Relatable Testimonial Flow 

ā€œI’ve never been so focused.ā€
ā€œGlad I went with Glowfare.ā€

Each creator gives a short, authentic line that feels like spontaneous user feedback.

Cuts between male and female users broaden demographic trust.

šŸ’° Risk Reversal + Offer Stack 

ā€œ90-day money-back guarantee.ā€
ā€œBuy 1 Get 1 Free sale ends today.ā€

Classic DTC close — scarcity + safety.
Ends on urgency but within a UGC-friendly tone (ā€œI linked them belowā€).

To finish off with, here’s what this advertiser’s other ads and relevant stats look like inside VidTao… don’t forget to check it out! šŸ‘€


šŸ•µļø Want to ā€œSpyā€ on over 29 million YouTube ads (and landing pages)?

Go here to claim your free trial of the VidTao Premium YouTube Ad LibraryšŸ‘‡

That’s all for this week, folks! šŸš€

We hope this week’s selection of high-performing ads has sparked new ideas to test yourself!

Want more insights like these?

Stay tuned for next week’s VidTao 3 Ad Thursday, where we’ll continue breaking down winning strategies from the best YouTube ads in the game!

And btw… If you have questions about YouTube ads?

Go here to schedule a free chat with our friends at Inceptly. Inceptly is a top Direct Response video ad agency, specializing in high-performing YouTube ad creatives & media buying.

Have a great week!

PPS - Are you spending $1k/day+ on Paid Ads? šŸ‘‰ Go here to set up a free YouTube Ad brainstorm chat.